Deep understanding of the interaction between thienorphine and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms

Icaritin exhibits potential drug-drug interactions through the inhibition of human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase in vitro

Icaritin is a prenylflavonoid derivative of the genus Epimedium (Berberidaceae) and has a variety of pharmacological actions. Icaritin is approved by the National Medical Products Administration as an anticancer drug that exhibits efficacy and safety advantages in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma cells. This study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of icaritin on UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms. 4-Methylumbelliferone (4-MU) was employed as a probe drug for all the tested UGT isoforms using in vitro human liver microsomes (HLM). The inhibition potentials of UGT1A1 and 1A9 in HLM were further tested by employing 17β-estradiol (E2) and propofol (PRO) as probe substrates, respectively. The results showed that icaritin inhibits UGT1A1, 1A3, 1A4, 1A7, 1A8, 1A10, 2B7, and 2B15. Furthermore, icaritin exhibited a mixed inhibition of UGT1A1, 1A3, and 1A9, and the inhibition kinetic parameters (Ki) were calculated to be 3.538, 2.117, and 0.306 (μM), respectively. The inhibition of human liver microsomal UGT1A1 and 1A9 both followed mixed mechanism, with Ki values of 2.694 and 1.431 (μM). This study provides supporting information for understanding the drug-drug interaction (DDI) potential of the flavonoid icaritin and other UGT-metabolized drugs in clinical settings. In addition, the findings provide safety evidence for DDI when liver cancer patients receive a combination therapy including icaritin.

Inhibition of P-Glycoprotein and Multidrug Resistance-Associated Protein 2 Regulates the Hepatobiliary Excretion and Plasma Exposure of Thienorphine and Its Glucuronide Conjugate

Thienorphine (TNP) is a novel partial opioid agonist that has completed phase II clinical evaluation as a promising drug candidate for the treatment of opioid dependence. Previous studies have shown that TNP and its glucuronide conjugate (TNP-G) undergo significant bile excretion. The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles of efflux transporters in regulating biliary excretion and plasma exposure of TNP and TNP-G. An ATPase assay suggested that TNP and TNP-G were substrates of P-gp and MRP2, respectively. The in vitro data from rat hepatocytes showed that bile excretion of TNP and TNP-G was regulated by the P-gp and MRP2 modulators. The accumulation of TNP and TNP-G in HepG2 cells significantly increased by the treatment of mdr1a or MRP2 siRNA for P-gp or MRP2 modulation. In intact rats, the bile excretion, and pharmacokinetic profiles of TNP and TNP-G were remarkably changed with tariquidar and probenecid pretreatment, respectively. Tariquidar increased the Cmax and AUC0-t and decreased MRT and T1/2 of TNP, whereas probenecid decreased the plasma exposure of TNP-G and increased its T1/2. Knockdown P-gp and MRP2 function using siRNA significantly increased the plasma exposure of TNP and TNP-G and reduced their mean retention time in mice. These results indicated the important roles of P-gp and MRP2 in hepatobiliary excretion and plasma exposure of TNP and TNP-G. Inhibition of the efflux transporters may affect the pharmacokinetics of TNP and result in a drug-drug interaction between TNP and the concomitant transporter inhibitor or inducer in clinic.

New insights for the risk of bisphenol A: inhibition of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs)

Bisphenol A (BPA), the important endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC), has been reported to be able to induce various toxicity. The present study aims to understand the toxicity behavior of bisphenol A through evaluating the inhibition profile of bisphenol A towards UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms. In vitro recombinant UGTs-catalyzed 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) glucuronidation reaction was employed as probe reaction for all the tested UGT isoforms. The results showed that bisphenol A exerted stronger inhibition towards UGT2B isoforms than UGT1A isoforms. Furthermore, the inhibition kinetic type and parameters (K(i)) were determined for the inhibition of bisphenol A towards UGT2B4, 2B7, 2B15, and 2B17. Bisphenol A exhibited the competitive inhibition towards UGT2B4, and noncompetitive inhibition towards UGT2B7, 2B15 and 2B17. The inhibition kinetic parameters (K(i)) were calculated to be 1.1, 32.6, 5.6, and 19.9 μM for UGT2B4, 2B7, 2B15 and 2B17, respectively. In combination with the in vivo concentration of bisphenol A, the elevation of exposure dose was predicted to increase by 29.1%, 1%, 5.7%, and 1.6% for UGT2B4, 2B7, 2B15, and 2B17, indicating the high influence of bisphenol A towards the in vivo UGT2B isofroms-mediated metabolism of xenobiotics and endogenous substances. All these data provide the supporting information for deeper understanding of toxicology of bisphenol A.